Steve Carter & Ron Hicks will play a fine duo concert on Saturday, May 28th, 2016, at 7:00 PM.

Steve Carter...Steve moved to Austin from Baltimore in 1979 to immerse himself in the city's flourishing music scene. Shortly after settling in he joined the Lotions and later, Pressure, the leading reggae bands in Texas at that time. In the early '90s he joined Linda Wier and Rick Blackburn's songwriters' group. He and his writing partner, Ron Hicks, enjoyed collaborating with Erik Moll, Michael Ballew, Will T. Massey and Rusty Wier in that brief, but educational time. Steve, Ron and Erik all had considerable success with the well-respected Norwegian guitarist and country musician, Steinar Albrigtsen, earning a couple of Platinum CDs, including Steve's Gold Single, "I Just Want to Fall In Love Again". He also wrote with longtime reggae band member, Alan Moe Monserrat, and with him formed the country band, Stop The Truck, that toured several times in Europe to sellout crowds. In 2001 Steve was introduced to Freddy Powers, a Texas Hall Of Fame Songwriter who wrote 39 Merle Haggard songs and five #1 singles including "I Always Get Lucky With You", recorded by George Jones. He would spend the next 9 years learning from a true master songwriter, becoming Freddy's band leader. Today, Steve is active in five bands including Mau Mau Chaplains, Stop The Truck, Will Taylor and Strings Attached (House of Wills show), Bee Gees Songbook and Beach Boys Songbook as well as a member of the house band for the annual Gram Parsons Birthday Hoot. Now, twenty some years later, he has re-teamed with Ron Hicks to write and perform again. His passion for songwriting and joy in performing shines bright at every show.

Ron Hicks...Ron was first bitten by the songwriting bug in 1973 while a student in Austin. The high hill music saturating the airwaves at the time was a true awakening for a 19-year old who’d spent most of his life in the industrial wilds of Pasadena, Texas. Of all the great Austin songwriters, Ron was most influenced by Clarksville resident, Townes Van Zandt, who he still reveres: “I went to every gig I could and I only remember the good times.” In 1976 Ron began playing his own songs with the performance group Clearlight, led by Grady Hillman, beat poet and raconteur. After a stint in Northern California playing small venues, and then two years studying guitar at the Berklee College of Music in Boston; “a late starter, trying to catch up.“ Ron returned to Austin with his family for good. He played in and wrote songs for some unheralded, i.e. “pretty awful”, post-punk rock bands, led a faux bluegrass band, did yeoman’s duty in a country dance hall band and finally settled down in 1985 to serious songwriting with his friend Steve Carter. Ron and Steve were recruited, along with Erik Moll, Michael Ballew, Will T. Massey and Rusty Wier, by Linda Wier and Rick Blackburn for the Sun Room Music group. Sun Room, proved fertile ground for collaborative writing. Steve, Erik and Ron managed to place some songs on Norwegian artist Steinar Albrigtsen’s debut album. Ron’s single, “In Rosa’s Heart”, topped the charts for 37 weeks leading Steinar’s album to platinum sales. Steinar included Ron’s ballad, “Bound to Wander”, for the title track of his sophomore album. Success overseas didn’t translate in the US, though, and Ron eventually became absorbed by fine arts painting. In 2015, after a 20-year hiatus from songwriting, he reconnected with his friend Steve and they’re enjoying playing and writing now, more than ever.